NEW DELHI (The Statesman/ANN) - India on Thursday said that it had issued a demarche to the British Government, asking it not to allow a separatist Sikh organisation, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), to hold a gathering in London on 12 August.

“We have seen reports in this regard. We have taken up the matter with the British government. We expect Britain will not allow this gathering to take place. We have pointed out that the gathering is aimed at spreading hate and it could also have a bearing on ties between our two nations,’’ External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a media briefing here.

The spokesperson said a majority of Sikh groups abroad had good relations with India but there were certain fringe elements who wanted to create rift between communities.

His comments came in the wake of reports that the SFJ proposes to hold a gathering on “Punjab Independence Referendum 2020 for Sikhs’ right to self-determination” in what is clearly seen as an anti-India activity. It has also invited students and political activists from Punjab to the conference.